Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) chief Medha Patkar today discussed consequences of increasing the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam with city-based activists.
"The Narmada valley area has 29 dams in Madhya Pradesh and one in Gujarat. Madhya Pradesh will be the worst affected due to the dam in Gujarat. At least 193 villages in Madhya Pradesh will get submerged in 214 km affected area after the increase in height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam," Patkar told activists including Indukumar Jani, Dinkar Dave, Hiren Gandhi, Bharatsinh Jhala and Sagar Rabari.
Patkar said that around 55,000 families from Madhya Pradesh will be affected after the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam is increased.
She said that affected areas comprise residential localities, agricultural land, markets and schools.
Patkar also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the decision to increase the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam from 121.92 metres to 138.72 metres without involving the concerned ministries and the move was "planned and manipulated".
"On the seventeenth day after coming to power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the decision to increase the dam's height by 17 metres. Since last eight years, work on the dam had stopped due to four crucial judgments of the Supreme Court that land or properties cannot be submerged without a proper rehabilitation programme," she said.
"There are two sub-groups of Narmada Control Authority which are the rehabilitation sub-group under the Social Justice Department and the environment sub-group under the chairmanship of the secretary of the environment ministry. Both sub-groups were not giving sanctions due to which work on the dam had stopped," she said.
